11 Strings
by redcloudedleopard
Summary: All six heroes are in jeopardy & regarded as 'dangerous'. They have yet to know that the Puppet Master has controlled many other minds in the city - from his prison cell. Story is told from Ben's perspective to make it more interesting
1. Kicked Outta The Penthouse

Somethin' was keeping me awake. But it was one of 'em times I wasn't gonna be cranky. "Huh? What time is it? What's that smell? Is that..bacon?" I mumbled.

"It sure is, buddy. You just go back to sleep now, & I'll wake you when it's ready." Oh. It was Matchstick. Too bad I was too sleepy to care.

I decided to say, "Thanks, Torch...you're all right."

"Hope you like it over-easy...."

"Yeah, sure...I --Wait, why are you cooking breakfast in my room?" That's when I snapped awake & looked down on my rock hard chest. Eggs & bacon - all over it. I had to let it out....."TOOOOORRRCHH!!" I chased him outta the room but pipsqueak flew too fast.

"Come back here, Flame Brain, so I can give you a nice big HUG!!!!"

Suzy & Dr. O were by the TV. _Everyone _was early today! "Did either of you see the news this morning? They called us a 'menace'," said Suzy. Nope, we didn't.

"I was just making breakfast in bed!" said the kid.

"Johnny!" barked Suzy, making a force field between me & Johnny.

"YOU MADE IT _ON_ ME!" I yelled at him while smashing her force field. After I did, Blue Blaze's hand grabbed my lower arm. "Easy now..," she said. She was pretty strong for a girl.

Dr. O had somethin' important, "You know what else? They threaten to close down all L.Y. Weapons operations here! It's for the same reason they're after the Fantastic Four, Leopard X & Blue Dragon." No wonder everyone was up so fast. I hadn't heard much 'bout Dr. O's company but it mattered to us too. He & Blue Blaze were great pals.

Suzy turned the field off & asked, "Johnny...have you burned anything down down in the city recently?"

"Hmm. Well..there was that -- no, I stopped that one. Let's see. No." Ugh, the kid could chatter 24/7. "A few close calls, but nothing major. Man, I need to get out more," he finally finished.

Stretch appeared from the basement elevator. "I just invented a cosmic power amplifier."

It got real quiet so I guessed we had to comment on that. "Good inventin' there, Stretch," I said. **A kind word would cheer the guy up.**

"It's the weirdest thing..I don't know what I'm going to do with it. I just...felt like inventing one," continued my best friend.

Flame Brain interrupted with "Yeah, that happens to me sometimes, but with melting things." That was an annoying fact. But the truth hurts, doesn't it?

"I'm sure the device serves a purpose," Dr. O kinda laughed.

"Reed, something weird's going on. The news this morning was talking about how 'dangerous' the Fantastic Four are. We haven't saved the world in a couple of weeks, but it seemed harsh," Suzy went on.

H.E.R.B.I.E. was tellin' us the next minute about some police comin' up to get us. Stretch went elastic & his head flew to the open lift doors. "Whatever Johnny did..we'll fix it," he told the mystery people.

"No. It's all of you," one guy snapped. Uh-oh. Mr. Mayor. & in a bad mood. The guy walked out & gave us a nasty face, "We're here to evict you. & furthermore, if the Fantastic Four, Leopard X & Blue Dragon are involved in _any more 'heroics'_, I'll have you kicked out of the city!"

None of us could talk. We had to pack our stuff & get out.

The Mayor kept goin' on about us, even when we stood on the side of the street later on. Stretch & Dr. O were being nice & just tryin' to get some answers. They weren't being treated right. So I lost my cool, "Hey! We aren't dangerous!!" Couldn't resist stampin' a foot on the concrete to make some cracks in it. I stopped myself after that & said softly, "Most of the time we ain't..."

"This decision is final! One more complaint & you'll be arrested!" ordered the guy to the right of Mr. Mayor. Alright then. I shut my mouth. Stretch & Suzy called the whole thing a mystery - apart from one of our neighbour's newfound happiness. All thanks to us gettin' kicked out of the Baxter Building.

Suddenly I was distracted by some screaming. Oh. Flame Brain again. I could see why he let out the girlie scream. "They're taking my car! No, NO!! My baby!" he was squeaking.

"Simmer down, Matchstick," I told him while grabbing him.

"But..but..my CAR! I wouldn't let Doctor Doom take my car!"

"Johnny, come down! People are looking," said Suzy.

That could cool the kid a little; I saw Blue Blaze scoot over to him, & he seemed to lose all the stress. Ha ha, there was somethin' goin' on about the two of 'em.

Stretch kept talking. We had lost a lotta stuff already: frozen bank accounts, building security, bla bla bla...Until I heard him say, "....& even Ben's "All You Can Eat" status in the city's restaurants has been canceled." I wanted to blow up again, "WHAT?!" Nghhh, we had to beat this guy up (whoever was behind the mess). Suzy made us all invisible.


	2. Jobs To Do

We were lucky we six wore our superhero suits, Dr. O included. He was practisin' in his armour a bit in the mornin' before we got kicked out. My girlfriend's place was the best place to be now. I knocked, & she opened up the door right away.

"Hey 'Licia...do ya mind if we crash here for a bit?" I asked while smiling.

"You don't even need to ask," she answered. That made her the perfect girlfriend..

We sat down & got to business. Suzy started off, "Mole Man?" I shook my head, "Nah, too subtle. He usually goes for big monsters. How 'bout Skrulls?"

"Too dumb. I think it's Doom," Flame Brain joined in.

Dr. O said, "Maybe not Skrulls. If they shapeshifted into hundreds of imposters who hate us, it'd be a big job for them to abduct a fraction of the city's population."

Next was Stretch, "Yes. The Skrulls are not dumb, Johnny. Doom is a possibility, but something about this feels more like...."

'Licia's turn came up, "My father. The Puppet Master."

"Precisely," Dr. O added to it all.

"Controlling minds IS his specialty. But he's in prison, & needs his irradiated clay to make his puppets. If only I could get to my lab," said Stretch.

I thought of somethin' suddenly, "Or...maybe it's us."

"What?" asked Blue Blaze.

I didn't stop, "Maybe we're as bad as they're all saying."

'Licia didn't like that. She said my name sharply, "Ben!"

Stretch filled in, "No..he's right. Our presence in the city does sometimes result in quite a bit of chaos. But we generally do more good than harm."

"I second that," Blue Blaze raised her finger.

"& we always cleaned up afterwards! Can't people understand that?" Suzy said.

The kid quickly told us, "Guess not. You saw what they did to my car. Bunch of savages in this town!"

"All the same, I think we should pay a visit to our old enemies. Alicia, if you wouldn't mind checking in on your father...," Stretch decided.

Suzy finished up, "Super villain or not, we can't fight the city or public opinion. As much as I hate to say it, the Fantastic Four may be over. We may have to get...jobs." Matchstick passed out when he heard this.

_Jobs schmobs._ I had to try out dumping loads of garbage at the sites they had around the city. A stinkin' job, alright! Flame Brain visited Mole Man but it didn't work out; Giganto almost ate him. Stretch tried teaching at some school - of course the kids didn't get a thing he said. My best friend was laughable in that sense. Blue Blaze was the lucky one: she got cookin' in a restaurant uptown. When my shift was up I paid Doom a visit myself. He smashed me through his front door! Poor man had a temper flare. I yelled back at him, "Okay, I get it! It wasn't you! Don't take it so personal, Doom!" Suzy entertained at a kiddie birthday bash at Central Park. Stretch talked to them Skrulls (who were undercover as cows in the middle of nowhere) but got no info. As for Dr.O, the poor guy had to sort things out in his office. Stretch wanted to lend a hand but the doc said no. He was feelin' the tension. I even saw him put his hands together & shut his eyes tight. Like, to pray or somethin'. Last but not least Matchstick was teachin' people in the park how to start campfires. No further comment. We were all doing this till we were beat by sundown.

We got to 'Licia's place again & Stretch asked about her dad.

Her answer was "Same as always. He wouldn't talk to me. But it was just like you said..he's in jail with no clay."

"Good. No offense Alicia, but your dad is nuts," Johnny told her.

"I'm sorry. But you can't stay here anymore. It's just too dangerous," said 'Licia.

"But Alicia --," Dr. O begged her. The stressed look hadn't left him.

My girlfriend had said weird stuff. Boy, was I surprised too, "'Licia!! Come on, it's us! We'll protect you!" My words didn't work.

***

So we went to take refuge in a warehouse containing Stretch's _other_ gizmos. Reed was always bein' the 'just in case' kinda guy.

"Got enough stuff here, Stretch?" I asked him, movin' boxes around. Dr. O helped me.

"Projects I'm not actively working on," Stretch said. Blue Blaze fired up some computer wires near him.

Suzy got curious, "Why wasn't this placed locked down by the city like everything else we own?"

I pressed a button on one gizmo & it flew up high. Stretch turned it off for me & explained, "Oh, this isn't mine…it's my father's. We should be able to keep a low profile here until I can figure out what to do next. Provided we don't blow up anything."

Matchstick came in handy by buyin' us dinner. Sandwiches, but still, it was food. He said, "Hey, didya know that this police is totally surrounded by police? It may've been a SWAT team. Not sure."

_"What?!"_ said the rest of us.

I looked out the window & went sarcastic, "Gee, I wonder how they found us, TORCH?"

Torch answered, "Beats me. Sandwich?" I'm quite sure he had some clue to what I meant.

"The area's secure! Send in Code Blue!" someone yelled outside.

"That's some impressive gear they've got there, don't ya think?" I commented. I looked at Stretch & said, "Kinda looks like something _you _might come up with."

Ahah! I found the piece of the puzzle. Stretch admitted it, "Well, actually it is. I outfitted the NYPD's Code Blue unit with all of their weapons & armour."

"Oh," said Blue Blaze who folded both arms.

"You gave them weapons – to fight US?" Suzy asked, a little mad now.

Stretch shook his head, "Well, not us specifically. Just so the city could defend itself. You know..in case we weren't here."

_BOOM! _

Outta the door came a really big robot. People with high-tech guns ran in to surround us, too. I always told myself **not to be surprised if someone bloodies your nose.** You always had to prepare for the worst. & trust me, I had experience when it came to stuff like this....

Dr. O put on his cat helmet; it made a cool growlin' sound as his green glass eyes turned on. I put my fists together. Stretch switched to battle mode (not scientist-at-the-computer mode) & Suzy got into position. Flame Brain had just finished the sandwich. Blue Blaze waved her hands & out came her pretty blue firepower.

----------

I found some Proverbs verse that actually says "don't be surprised if someone bloodies your nose". Interestingly, it fit with how Ben was engaged in many gang fights in his past.


	3. Puppet Master Again

Slow-witted Matchstick nearly got hit, if it weren't for Suzy's force field.

"Sue, look out!" he yelled. The big old robot was about to clobber her, so I took action, fast. I could push her away just in time. Robot's laser got me, though, & sent me slidin' backward. "That all you got?" I told the machine.

"Uh…Ben?" asked Stretch. He was warnin' me. More lasers were on their way when I turned around. I admit it; I was a slowpoke this time round. Some red light made me blind for a sec & I smashed into crates & tins. I was dizzy for a bit & when my eyes opened up again, Dr. O roared & jumped over me to strike that lean mean machine.

"Are we really going to fight? I mean, they're the good guys! Won't we get in trouble?" muttered Flame Brain, being a goodie-goodie for once.

"Already in trouble!" said Suzy. None of us had taken down anyone yet. Blue Blaze half-melted some of their guns but that was it.

"Everyone stand down!" Stretch ordered us.

"Giving up ain't really my style," I couldn't help sayin'.

"I won't let you become outlaws. Give the police your full cooperation," he said.

Suzy had a question, " 'Our' cooperation? What about you?"

"Oh, I'm not surrendering. I'm going to clear our names," my best friend told us all. Using his rubbery powers he bounced outta the building, Suzy put a field around him till he stretched away safely.

Flame Brain was wailing away, "Oh sure…REED gets to escape. How's THAT fair?" No matter what he said, we had ourselves no choice.

What came next surprised us loads. Dr. O & Blue Blaze weren't cuffed like me, Suzy & Johnny were. "HEY! What about you both?!" Matchstick wailed some more, this time at the officers.

Dr. O did the talking, "Johnny, you have to understand. The Mayor gave Azula & I another chance."

"But – but….," Matchstick mumbled. We couldn't do a thing. The police packed us into a bunch of vans & drove us off. It was ages before they opened them doors again. Yeah, just like I expected. The prison at the edge of town, right in front of us.

The mood was glum so I made it upbeat. "You're joking, right? Do you WANT us to escape? This place isn't gonna hold us," I teased the officers.

Flame Brain joined in, "Yeah, you have to put us in the Raft, or the Big House. One of those super powered prisons. I hear the Vault has power nullifying ankle bracelets! Ow. Fine. Just a suggestion." Puhhh, he was talkin' too much.

The noise didn't stop till we got inside. "Rock man walking!" yelled Flame Brain. I told him to zip it, or else. Luckily our cell was big enough. Plus it had a TV.

"Welcome to my kingdom, heroes…..," someone creepy said on the TV.

"Dude, Reed called it. It's Alicia's crazy dad. We're totally going to find you & stop you!" said Flame Brain.

'Licia's dad kept goin', "By now you've deduced that it was I who turned the city against you. It was I who had you thrown out of your home & hunted like common criminals!"

I saw a puppet shaped like my girlfriend on the shelf & said, " 'Licia..he possessed his own daughter…" _Couldn't believe my eyes._ I looked around & saw puppets of Dr. O & Blue Blaze too. No wonder they weren't crammin' in here with us. I was guessin' the Puppet Master found 'em real useful. & that was a bad thing.

"But as much as I've enjoyed watching your humiliation, it was merely a diversion. You see, for weeks now, I've been whispering into the ear of my most important pawn. The greatest mind on the planet…," Puppet Master went on.

"Wait..it's not ME, is it?" asked Matchstick. If things weren't so serious I'd be laughin' away.

Suzy had a light bulb turn on in her head, "No…_Reed_." There was a puppet of him on the shelf, all right.

I felt some super urgent feeling, & smashed the door open. We were gonna run out the fastest we could. "By the time you find me it will be far too late. Oh…& do not try to hurt anyone on your way out; they're not acting of their own free will," said 'Licia's dad.

Lots of prison guards cornered us. Their eyes looked purple & dead in some way. One of 'em reached out to grab Matchstick, who backed off. "Whoa…hey, careful guys! Fire _burns._ No touching! Hey, a little help here!" he said. Three guards were wrestlin' with him now.

One guard tried usin' a taser on me. It tickled but put me off. "OW!!! That hurt…sort of. Any ideas how to do this without smushing anybody?" I asked.

"Very gently," was Suzy's suggestion. She put all three of us into her field while the guards were punchin' it from outside. The shield was slidin' along the floor & Johnny had a bad comment for his sis to hear, "It's like a low speed chase! Wow sis, just when I thought you couldn't get any lamer."

Well, he was talkin' too soon. Suzy made the shield float up & wreck the ceiling. That was our way out. I heard Flame Brain say, "Never mind." He learnt his lesson. I was kinda busy thinkin' about Dr. O & my cooking pal being dangerous.

We were flyin' to the heart of the city. We landed on a bright street with people that didn't move. "That's weird. The city is quiet," said Suzy. No kiddin'.

"Hello? Anybody home?" Matchstick asked a man on the pavement. In a sec, everyone started speakin' the same words at the same time. They all said creepy stuff, _"Oh, someone is home, punk….The Puppet Master. I am everywhere! I am everyone! Finally I will get the respect I deserve. You've already lost, Fantastic Fools! Let me show you…"_

An old man hurled a hot dog at Matchstick & a kid threw some other food at him too. You really couldn't get anyone controlled by the Puppet Master to **love his neighbours…**Somethin' light & fluffy hit my back. A short lady was hittin' me with her broom. Tomatoes hit me many times too. I turned & said out loud, "An old woman? People throwing fruit? Is this the best you can do, Puppet Master?"

My good friend with the broom answered, "Not even close." Yikes. Next thing I know, a couple of trucks slammed me so hard I flew across the street. Not that it hurt, but I had to tell 'em, "Well, that's a little better –" Truck #2 crashed into me again. This wasn't gonna be pretty.

Wanna know what else? When I picked myself up after the truck crash, I heard a really loud _kitty_ sound. & it could only mean one thing. Leopard X was standin' in front of the mind-controlled crowd, Blue Blaze appearin' after him. & nope, they weren't smilin'.

Dr. O's robot eyes were real bright & angry. His mouth was openin' wide to let out his laser beam anytime.


	4. End of His Game

Boy, was I glad I dodged that green laser; it would've done damage. "Watch how I use your two new superhero friends - to do my bidding!" the people said together with the voice of their master. Again, somethin' sorta fluffy was brushin' against my back. It was a lil' surprise waitin' for me. I turned around to see a kid wearin' glasses…& his violin stick thingamajig. The soft part of the stick tickled. Andrew. The kid who helped the FF whack some Skrulls some weeks back! _Not him too. _I just stood there as he kept hittin' me with the stick, until (finally) it snapped.

"_You're running out of time, Fantastic Fools. My reign already looms over you," _muttered Puppet Master.

Best I could do to fend Andy off was to push him aside. He was part of the nastier bunch of mind-controlled citizens who kept comin' toward us. So I bent a couple of metal bars I tore off those trucks. I wrapped 'em around Andy to keep him stuck to a street lamp. Ha ha, I'd free him later.

More wildcat kung fu was comin' my way. "It's clobberin' time!" I yelled before blockin' Dr. O's scratch attack. "Don't worry, Dr. O. This won't hurt…much," I had to warn him. As fast as I could I flipped him upside down. That slowed him for the moment. But his tail did that cool unfolding thing & whacked me in the face. _Ouchie. _

Suzy was havin' her own problems with Blue Blaze. She was deliverin' dangerous punches that might melt Suzy's suit. Good thing Suzy's shields were most likely meltproof! When Suzy found the right time she flew up while still shielding herself. The New Yorkers never stopped the fruit throwing.

"There's too many of them! Johnny, try to get above them," Suzy said. Flame Brain was stuck somewhere in the crowd & I couldn't spot him. Not till he got his turn to put up a fight with Blue Blaze. I gotta admit, he was gettin' good. They were spinnin' round, punchin' & kickin' at super speed. Johnny had a plus point – if things got heavy he'd be makin' an escape by flyin' away. "Whoa, whoa, hey! Zed, it's _me_! Take it easy on me – I'm just a student, remember?!" he blabbered to her. Obviously, Blue Blaze didn't wanna comply.

Matchstick gave up & wanted to hover but a fireman sprayed him before he got high enough. Suzy got him right on time on her platform, as she could always do. Always takin' care of her little bro.

"Hey, uh…Suzy? If you don't mind…I've had about enough of garbage today!" I barked. I was about to be the filling of a truck sandwich. Quickly enough, Suzy lifted both trucks & I hopped on her flyin' platform. Next stop: the Baxter Building.

"H.E.R.B.I.E…are you there?" asked Suzy.

"HI, SUSAN!" the stupid computer said.

Suzy shushed him before tellin' him, "H.E.R.B.I.E., I need you to activate the building's defensive grid."

"I don't think that will be necessary, Susan. Dr. Richards said there's nothing to worry about! & look! Alicia's dad is our best friend now!" screeched H.E.R.B.I.E.

Our elevator reached the lab, with a surprise in store for us. 'Licia's madman of a dad was there; Stretch was under his power. I began the fight with my official tagline, "Oh, it's definitely clobberin' time."

"Puppet, stop them!" shouted Puppet Master. Honestly to say, what made my best friend dangerous weren't just his brains. If he got seriously evil, he'd wrap around enemies till they couldn't breathe. Now _that's_ what was happenin' to us. In one moment, Stretch's eyes were a freaky dark colour. He had us three being squeezed, like those snakes called pythons could do.

Our villain was very chatty, "This will be amusing. I can take control of any one of you at any time. I can make you fight each other until I get bored. & I can't imagine that would _ever _get boring."

Suzy stretched out her hand to use her powers on the mind-controllin' nutcase, but Reed's grip was too tight.

"Uh, uh, uh, we will have none of that now," laughed 'Licia's dad while waving a finger. _Were we doomed or were we doomed?! _Now I was beginnin' to worry.

Suzy choked, "Reed!…Oh, boy. This…is really really bad."

Puppet Master continued, "Now you're beginning to understand. Who to take over next? I think I'll start with the monster."

Oh man, I had heard that loud 'n clear. Anytime now, I'd lose touch with myself. That didn't happen, though. "My nose itches. Was that supposed to do something?!" I said out loud. Yeah, instead of feeling like an automatic machine, my nose was itching. Outta all things that could possibly happen…

"What?" Puppet Master growled.

"Knock that off!" I yelled. The itch got worse.

"You two, then!" he changed his mind, lookin' at Matchstick & Suzy now.

Matchstick squeaked, "Hey! That's just plain evil, man! You can't just go & make a guy's nose itch!"

They were itchin', too? This was funny. Puppet Master was losin' patience, "Make it work! Make it work on them! Do it, puppet! Destroy them!"

Everybody was waitin' to see what Stretch would do next. His eyes were lookin' everywhere: at me, at 'Licia's dad…He caught the bad guy off guard suddenly when he said, "Never." Then his eyes lost their unusual dark colour.

"No one's will is that strong!" screamed our villain. I was dyin' to shut him up & trudged toward him. The guy tried to run but I cornered him. "No!!!" he screeched. I grabbed his shoulders & lifted him. "Why? Why didn't it work on them? My plan was perfect!" he complained.

Stretch went scientific, "It didn't work, Phillip, because the machine amplifies cosmic powers, ours as well as yours. The two effectively cancelled each other out, leaving only a minor side effect." Way to go, Stretch. Not that we could get half of what he said, but he saved the day.

"Nice work & all, Reed, but nose itching? Why?! I think I'd rather be controlled," said Flame Brain.

I looked Phillip in the eye & said, "I think we're going to need a better prison for you this time."

Later the cops took him away to the one 'n only Vault, while we made sure the streets were normal again. We met up with Dr. O & Blue Blaze & they apologized. "It's no big deal. You didn't do anyone any harm," Stretch told 'em nicely.

There were some lovey dovey moments. I noticed Suzy was clingin' on to Stretch pretty tight. She told our two friends about Reed being controlled & all that. About her relationship with Stretch, she kept quite quiet about it. Stretch talked about it even less in public. Still, it was sweet watchin' them both. It did look like they liked each other lots. After all, they'd been together through thick & thin for years.

& as for Flame Brain & Blue Blaze, they loved pokin' jokes at one another now. I could hear Blue Blaze tell him,

"I can't believe you survived the Blue Dragon." She almost laughed.

"Hey, hey, never underestimate the Torch's skills!" snapped Flame Brain.

"Newsflash: where _did_ all those skills come from again?"

Boy, was she smart. I was jealous because she could clobber him even with little words. Matchstick was complainin', "Fine, 'sensei'. I get your point."

I felt some urge to suddenly visit 'Licia. But first I went back to the lamppost where I tied Andrew & freed him. Poor guy was confused. "Who BROKE MY BOW??" he asked. His stick dangled in the air. "You were under supervillain control, buddy. You used it to try whackin' me," I laughed.

I heard him sigh; he was havin' the blues. Finally I decided to say, "C'mon, we err…can go grab a new one. & I'll pay for it." Yup, it felt fair to do that for him. It was a beauty to **do good to someone, not to mention lend to them without expecting to get anything back.** Hero business taught me that. If the music store wasn't closed for the night, we still had time.

"You will?" Andy asked me.

"Sure, sure. Trust me, it ain't gonna hurt my pocket," I smiled.


End file.
